by Ed Roberts, Associate Marine Biologist

Beginning January 1, 2011, the Department of Fish and Game's (DFG) Marine Region assumed responsibility for the field sampling component of the statewide California Recreational Fisheries Survey (CRFS), which was previously conducted by contract employees with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC).

Anglers have seen little in terms of changes during the transition, aside from some friendly new faces in the field. The new CRFS scientific aids conducting the survey are highly trained and well qualified, having completed at least 10 units of science-related, college-level classwork or a year of biological survey work. They also received extensive training last winter both in the classroom and in the field to master CRFS sampling protocols and polish fish identification skills.

"Working on the CRFS is an enjoyable and rewarding experience," said Dan Troxel, one of the recently hired scientific aids conducting the CRFS in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. Dan holds a Master of Science degree in fisheries biology from Humboldt State University. "As a scientist, I believe the CRFS is a valuable tool for fishery management. As an avid saltwater angler, I feel it is important to sustain and conserve our marine resources, and the CRFS is a big part of that effort."

When asked his thoughts regarding DFG's assumption of responsibility for the field sampling component of the CRFS, Dan replied "My integration into the CRFS program went smoothly, and the DFG did a good job training me in CRFS protocol."

As part of the transition, DFG filled two senior marine biologist supervisor positions, one for Northern and Central California, and one for Southern California. In addition, five associate marine biologist positions were filled--one each for Northern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, the Monterey/Morro Bay area, and two for Southern California-- to serve as field leads for the more than 60 scientific aids conducting the survey.

Jayna Schaaf-Da Silva, who earned a Master of Science degree in marine science at Moss Landing Marine Laboratory (through San Jose State University), was recently promoted to associate marine biologist to serve as the field lead in the Monterey/Morro Bay area. Jayna worked on the CRFS for nearly 4 years as a fishery technician with PSMFC (see The Scientific Side of the Hot Salmon Bite in the Sept. 2005 issue of Marine Management News).

"One of the biggest challenges I have run into as a CRFS field lead is helping the scientific aids see the big picture of the CRFS program and how important the data is to fisheries management in California," said Jayna. "Stock assessments use CRFS data. The results of these assessments are [in part] what give us annual harvest limits, and allow DFG to recommend fishing regulations such as bag limits, minimum size limits, fishing-depth constraints, and season structures. It's great when the scientific aids have that "ah-ha" moment and realize how important each fish measurement can be!"

It's clear that the transition has been a success. Looking at some of the totals from 2011, CRFS scientific aids and biologists completed nearly 4,700 sampling assignments statewide. More than 1,500 assignments were completed in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties alone. Ventura and Santa Barbara counties accounted for almost 500 sampling assignments. Over 800 assignments were completed in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties. More than 1,000 sampling assignments were completed in Sonoma and the Bay Area counties. Almost 300 assignments were completed in Mendocino county, and nearly 600 in Humboldt and Del Norte counties. This large number of successfully completed sampling assignments is testimony to the efforts of the more than 60 scientific aids in the field and the eight biologists responsible for the implementation of the project.

From the efforts of DFG staff with prior CRFS experience, to those staff who assisted with the transition, to the eagerness of new staff, DFG will continue to "carry the CRFS torch" to provide the data necessary to manage California's marine resources.

For more information about the CRFS program, visit the CRFS Web page.